A central reform from the Scholz government comes into force in Germany this Thursday, June 27. It reforms the rules for naturalization and shortens deadlines. But the reform is causing controversy at a time when the far right is gaining ground. The Christian Democrats want to call the text into question if they return to business.
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With our correspondent in Berlin, Pascal Thibaut
For some on the left, starting with the Greens, it is a Copernican revolution that modernizes the country by making it more welcoming to migrants. For others, on the right and the far right, German nationality is being sold off and a draw is being created for new arrivals when the time should be for strict control of migration.
Double nationality
One of the central societal reforms of the current government comes into force on June 27. It makes it easier to obtain German nationality by shortening the deadlines. It will now take five years instead of eight to obtain it. For well-integrated, socially active people, this period could even be reduced to three years. Another change: dual nationality becomes the rule, whileGermany until now only authorized it for nationals of the European Union and the Swiss.
The authorities expect an influx of requests despite often long waiting times. 200,000 files are currently pending in big cities alone, according to a survey. In 2023, 200,000 people will be naturalized, the highest figure since 2000.
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